F
flgreen
Guest
Rex Ryan shoulders blame for NY Jets but Woody Johnson must know it extends beyond head coach
Ryan’s inclusive nature — and early success — gave him plenty of rope during rough times, but Johnson shouldn’t have stipulated that his new general manager inherit the coach. The shotgun marriage was muddied by John Idzik’s litany of poor decisions in free agency and the draft.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Sunday, December 7, 2014, 11:04 PM Updated: Monday, December 8, 2014, 1:31
Rex Ryan continues to take responsibility for the Jets' woes, but there is only so much blame you can place on the head coach.
MINNEAPOLIS - A Vulcan Mind Meld with Woody Johnson typically isn’t recommended, but it sure would have been valuable to know exactly what the Jets’ owner was thinking as he exited TCF Bank Stadium Sunday afternoon after the Jets’ latest disappointment.
The suddenness of the Jets’ 30-24 overtime loss to the Vikings stung the players and coaches, but Johnson has much more franchise-altering decisions to contemplate these days.
Rex Ryan predictably absorbed the blame after Minnesota rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made the right check at the line of scrimmage to burn the Jets on an 87-yard bubble screen for the game-winning touchdown, but anyone with the gift of sight knows that the head coach isn’t the lone culprit for the nightmarish past three months.
“Obviously I deserve a lot of criticism for the way this team’s performed this season,” Ryan said. “I get that. No question. But Woody doesn’t. I’ll tell you that much. The Jets are in good hands with him as the owner, that’s for sure.”
Johnson unwittingly set his franchise back two years partly due to his affinity for Ryan, who has been an open book for his owner. Johnson is more comfortable with Ryan than any other football man he’s encountered in the past 14 years.
Ryan’s inclusive nature — and early success — gave him plenty of rope during rough times, but Johnson shouldn’t have stipulated that his new general manager inherit the coach. The shotgun marriage was muddied by John Idzik’s litany of poor decisions in free agency and the draft.
BREAKING NEWS: Johnson picked the wrong guy to head his football operations.
The predictable result: A season-long hemorrhaging that has everyone wondering what is going through Johnson’s mind right about now. Although Johnson erred by putting two guys together with competing timelines and agendas, he can easily rectify the problem.
Ryan surely deserved a better fate. The players showed Sunday unofficially for the millionth time that they play hard for their embattled coach. The dearth of talent, however, has swallowed this team whole, leaving smart people to describe the heartache after an 11th loss this way: “It f---ing sucks,” right guard Willie Colon said.
“I’m responsible for this,” Ryan said. “I’ll tell Woody and our fans and everybody else that. This is on me.”
Ryan is far from perfect, but he’s smart enough to realize that the end is near for him here. Johnson loves the guy, but the best decision for the franchise is to start anew. Johnson might not be well versed in fire-zone blitzes or intricate route combinations, but he’s no dummy.
The organization is at a crossroads. Johnson’s best move is obvious: Hire a general manager with a rich scouting background so that he can pick an offensive-minded head coach to lead the franchise into the future.
“Woody’s a competitor,” Ryan said. “He wants what’s best for this football team. He’s passionate. He wants to put a great product on the field. Obviously… he wants to win.”
Johnson likely averted his eyes on several occasions on Sunday. From shaky early quarterback play (Geno Smith’s pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage) to “inconsistent” cornerback play, as Ryan put it, to continued poor red-zone execution (0-for-5), there were plenty of breakdowns.
“There’s nothing Rex can say,” Colon said. “It’s a team loss, not a Rex loss.”
You don’t become 2-11 by accident. Johnson’s team needs to undergo radical reconstructive surgery in the coming months beginning with a reshaped front office.
WANTED: A franchise quarterback, a few cornerbacks, wide receiver, offensive linemen, pass rushers and a GM/support staff with a track record of finding good football players.
Jets owner Woody Johnson's pairing of Ryan and John Idzik together has been a trainwreck of a marriage.
ROBERT SABO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Jets owner Woody Johnson's pairing of Ryan and John Idzik together has been a trainwreck of a marriage.
Nothing Johnson witnessed on the University of Minnesota’s campus should have been shocking. The Jets’ pair of first-half turnovers and stagnant red-zone execution put them in a 21-15 halftime hole despite dominating the time of possession.
The Jets followed up their 277-yard rushing performance against the Dolphins last week with 168 yards thanks, in part, to Smith’s smart decisions to scramble when the pocket collapsed. It wasn’t enough… again.
“It’s been that kind of year for us,” Ryan said
Less than a week after the Jets put Smith on ice, the second-year quarterback played fairly well after his pick-6. Johnson shouldn’t be fooled, though. The Jets still need to find a franchise signal-caller in the 2015 draft.
“You don’t want to beat yourself up,” said Smith (18-for-29 for 254 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) about the team’s season-long struggles. “But at this point of the season you got to beat yourself up, because we’re not winning. Something has to be done.”
Something will.
It’s time for Woody Johnson to make the appropriate corrections.
Ryan’s inclusive nature — and early success — gave him plenty of rope during rough times, but Johnson shouldn’t have stipulated that his new general manager inherit the coach. The shotgun marriage was muddied by John Idzik’s litany of poor decisions in free agency and the draft.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Sunday, December 7, 2014, 11:04 PM Updated: Monday, December 8, 2014, 1:31
Rex Ryan continues to take responsibility for the Jets' woes, but there is only so much blame you can place on the head coach.
MINNEAPOLIS - A Vulcan Mind Meld with Woody Johnson typically isn’t recommended, but it sure would have been valuable to know exactly what the Jets’ owner was thinking as he exited TCF Bank Stadium Sunday afternoon after the Jets’ latest disappointment.
The suddenness of the Jets’ 30-24 overtime loss to the Vikings stung the players and coaches, but Johnson has much more franchise-altering decisions to contemplate these days.
Rex Ryan predictably absorbed the blame after Minnesota rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made the right check at the line of scrimmage to burn the Jets on an 87-yard bubble screen for the game-winning touchdown, but anyone with the gift of sight knows that the head coach isn’t the lone culprit for the nightmarish past three months.
“Obviously I deserve a lot of criticism for the way this team’s performed this season,” Ryan said. “I get that. No question. But Woody doesn’t. I’ll tell you that much. The Jets are in good hands with him as the owner, that’s for sure.”
Johnson unwittingly set his franchise back two years partly due to his affinity for Ryan, who has been an open book for his owner. Johnson is more comfortable with Ryan than any other football man he’s encountered in the past 14 years.
Ryan’s inclusive nature — and early success — gave him plenty of rope during rough times, but Johnson shouldn’t have stipulated that his new general manager inherit the coach. The shotgun marriage was muddied by John Idzik’s litany of poor decisions in free agency and the draft.
BREAKING NEWS: Johnson picked the wrong guy to head his football operations.
The predictable result: A season-long hemorrhaging that has everyone wondering what is going through Johnson’s mind right about now. Although Johnson erred by putting two guys together with competing timelines and agendas, he can easily rectify the problem.
Ryan surely deserved a better fate. The players showed Sunday unofficially for the millionth time that they play hard for their embattled coach. The dearth of talent, however, has swallowed this team whole, leaving smart people to describe the heartache after an 11th loss this way: “It f---ing sucks,” right guard Willie Colon said.
“I’m responsible for this,” Ryan said. “I’ll tell Woody and our fans and everybody else that. This is on me.”
Ryan is far from perfect, but he’s smart enough to realize that the end is near for him here. Johnson loves the guy, but the best decision for the franchise is to start anew. Johnson might not be well versed in fire-zone blitzes or intricate route combinations, but he’s no dummy.
The organization is at a crossroads. Johnson’s best move is obvious: Hire a general manager with a rich scouting background so that he can pick an offensive-minded head coach to lead the franchise into the future.
“Woody’s a competitor,” Ryan said. “He wants what’s best for this football team. He’s passionate. He wants to put a great product on the field. Obviously… he wants to win.”
Johnson likely averted his eyes on several occasions on Sunday. From shaky early quarterback play (Geno Smith’s pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage) to “inconsistent” cornerback play, as Ryan put it, to continued poor red-zone execution (0-for-5), there were plenty of breakdowns.
“There’s nothing Rex can say,” Colon said. “It’s a team loss, not a Rex loss.”
You don’t become 2-11 by accident. Johnson’s team needs to undergo radical reconstructive surgery in the coming months beginning with a reshaped front office.
WANTED: A franchise quarterback, a few cornerbacks, wide receiver, offensive linemen, pass rushers and a GM/support staff with a track record of finding good football players.
Jets owner Woody Johnson's pairing of Ryan and John Idzik together has been a trainwreck of a marriage.
ROBERT SABO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Jets owner Woody Johnson's pairing of Ryan and John Idzik together has been a trainwreck of a marriage.
Nothing Johnson witnessed on the University of Minnesota’s campus should have been shocking. The Jets’ pair of first-half turnovers and stagnant red-zone execution put them in a 21-15 halftime hole despite dominating the time of possession.
The Jets followed up their 277-yard rushing performance against the Dolphins last week with 168 yards thanks, in part, to Smith’s smart decisions to scramble when the pocket collapsed. It wasn’t enough… again.
“It’s been that kind of year for us,” Ryan said
Less than a week after the Jets put Smith on ice, the second-year quarterback played fairly well after his pick-6. Johnson shouldn’t be fooled, though. The Jets still need to find a franchise signal-caller in the 2015 draft.
“You don’t want to beat yourself up,” said Smith (18-for-29 for 254 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) about the team’s season-long struggles. “But at this point of the season you got to beat yourself up, because we’re not winning. Something has to be done.”
Something will.
It’s time for Woody Johnson to make the appropriate corrections.
